. >> we were trying to build an environment, an atmosphere in which to remove the underpinning that the united states had been providing to south africa and investments and loans, computer technology and military assistance of one kind or another. we were the legs on which apartheid stood, together with other industrialized western nations, we thought our role was to remove that underpinning. so when we went to the embassy and met with ambassadors we told him we wouldn't leave until nelson mandela had been released from prison. at the time few americans knew much about nelson mandela, we thought we had to build a big public story, more information in america that informed americans about the role that our country had been playing. the ambassador had us arrested that was followed by 5,000 americans who came to the embassy over the next year every day to be arrested and we joined that with the work we were doing with the congress, in the senate, senator edward kennedy played a major role in the house, william h. grey, ii, played a major role and we would meet on a regular basis in senator